Haloperidol plasma levels and acute clinical change in schizophrenia.
Twenty-five inpatients with acute exacerbations of schizophrenia (by Research Diagnostic Criteria) or schizoaffective disorder underwent a prospective haloperidol dosing procedure and were assigned fixed doses chosen to yield a distribution of haloperidol plasma levels above and below a hypothesized upper therapeutic limit of 18 ng/ml. Changes in Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale scores after 1 week of treatment were negatively correlated with haloperidol plasma levels, and the statistically optimum cutoff point fell near the predicted 18 ng/ml. Plasma level/response relationships over the subsequent 3 weeks were weaker but patients with higher plasma levels had consistently less improvement.
Coryell
W
W
University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City.
Kelly
M
M
Perry
P J
PJ
Miller
D D
DD
D000328:Adult; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D006220:Haloperidol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology
D006220:Haloperidol